By the last week of April, dry conditions persisted and the area categorized by severe drought was expanded. This new area moved further south and reached down to Highway 84. It was also expanded westward, generally to the Mississippi River, but excluded the Mississippi Delta land. During these last few days of April, rainfall deficits were now running between 10 and 14 inches below normal. Again, areas across Eastern Mississippi remained the driest. Even as the drought conditions were classified as severe, area farmers were not suffering and were only experiencing small impacts of the dry weather. This is mainly due to the fact that the soil still had a little moisture left from the winter rains and during the second half of April, a few days did receive some small amounts of rain, which at least introduced some moisture to the very top of the soil.